Supplementary devices for processing a variety of applications other than voice call and data call (i.e., essential functions) are mounted on a conventional mobile phone device.
The most common supplementary function is a digital camera device. A recent mobile phone device has a high-quality digital camera function of 8 million pixels. If this digital camera function is built in the mobile phone device, the mobile phone system usually requires camera components having a high picture quality and also a large-sized screen. This makes the mobile phone device heavy and expensive.
Furthermore, if a function of playing motion pictures is added to a mobile phone device, a screen having a higher picture quality is required, and an expensive processor for the mobile phone device is also required.
Furthermore, recently, as the screen resolution of a mobile phone device is increased and the performance of a central processor for processing multimedia is greatly improved, a variety of video games are increasingly included in the mobile phone device. Game software can be received on-line and then stored and installed in the mobile phone device.
Furthermore, a recent mobile phone device includes a wireless Internet function. In devices configured to process the wireless Internet function, a device called a Mobile Internet Device (MID) 100 is chiefly used. Major elements of the MID 100 include, as shown in FIG. 1, an input/output unit 110, an application processing unit 120, a network determination unit 130, a telecommunication processing unit 140, a wireless network processing unit 150, power amplifiers 160 and 180, a central control unit 170, and an antenna unit 190.
The elements of the MID (i.e., one of application devices of a mobile phone device) are described below. Although the MID includes many processing parts, only the above nine elements pertinent to the description of the present invention are described.
First, the input/output unit 110 may include a keypad for input, a display unit for output, a speaker, and so on. In the input/output unit 110, the size of the display unit gradually increases in line with advanced functions, and the input unit, such as a touch screen, is also advanced.
The application processing unit 120 includes applications, such as a web browser, e-mail, and a multimedia player, and a processor part for processing the applications. In order to process advanced applications, the application processing unit 120 further includes an application processor configured to process 3D and motion pictures having a high picture quality, other than a processor responsible for telecommunication processing.
The network determination unit 130 is a portion configured to determine a network that is now available and is configured to determine an available network between the telecommunication processing unit and the wireless network processing unit and then connect an available network thereto.
The telecommunication processing unit 140 is responsible for voice calls, data calls, etc. Here, a network protocol, such as CDMA or GSM, is commonly used. Further, evolved versions (e.g., EVDO, EVDV, WCDMA, UMTS, WiMAX, and LTE) of CDMA and GSM are used.
The wireless network processing unit 150 indicates an IEEE 802.11 series wireless LAN. Here, Wi-Fi is chiefly used as a communication protocol.
The power amplifier 160 is a power amplifier used in the telecommunication processing unit in order to wirelessly transmit transmission data. The power amplifier 180 is a power amplifier used in the wireless network processing unit in order to wirelessly transmit transmission data. In control of the power amplifier 160 and 180, the central control unit controls the turn-on or turn-off of the power amplifier 160 and 180 in software, and the degree of power amplification upon turn-on of the power amplifier is determined in accordance with a corresponding protocol. Data passing through the power amplifier is transmitted through an antenna unit 190 wirelessly. Reception data wirelessly transmitted to the antenna unit 190 is transmitted to the telecommunication processing unit and the wireless network processing unit which are then operated in accordance with respective corresponding protocols.
As shown in FIG. 1, when a user requests a wireless Internet function through the input/output unit 110 of the mobile phone, the application processing unit 120 executes a corresponding application, such as a web browser or e-mail, and the corresponding application requests network connection in order to execute TCP/IP or UDP/IP communication. In response thereto, the network determination unit 130 determines a network that is now available and connects the corresponding application to the determined network. Subsequent processes are carried out in accordance with a protocol defined in the telecommunication processing unit 140 or the wireless network processing unit 150.
Meanwhile, a concept of separating one mobile device into two or more devices and using the two or more devices is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2001-0061330, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2003-0065046, etc. The documents disclose technologies for, in mobile phone device, separating an interface portion, such as an input/output device, from a main body and using them. The separated interface portion can communicate with the main body in real time using wireless communication technologies, such as infrared communication or Bluetooth. According to this technology, the interface module can be made light-weight and thin.